WAR OF HEARTS ↠ KOL MIKAELSON [1]

THE RISE: EPILOGUE

[ THE RISE: EPILOGUE ]

"Just think about it, Rhea," Ares said, his voice filled with conviction as he paced back and forth in the dimly lit room. "If we do this—if we truly commit ourselves to the legacy—we will be unstoppable. No coven would dare to touch us. We'd be practically invincible."

Rhea stood at the window, her fingers gripping the cold stone sill as she stared out at the darkened city of New Orleans. The weight of his words pressed down on her, heavy and suffocating. She had heard promises of power before, but this—this was different. This was her chance. Her only chance.

"And you swear, Ares..." she turned to face him, her voice trembling with a mixture of hope and desperation. "You swear I'd have enough power to bring Kol back? This isn't just another one of your schemes, is it?"

Ares stopped pacing, his piercing gaze locking onto hers. He stepped forward, his hands settling on her shoulders, gripping them tightly as if to physically anchor her to his plan. "You'd have more than enough power, little sister. Kol's death doesn't have to be the end. We just need to keep working, to find the right spell. There's ancient magic in our bloodline that we've barely scratched the surface of. Trust me. We can do this. We will do this."

Rhea's heart pounded in her chest, torn between fear and a fierce determination. She could feel the echo of Kol's laughter in her mind, the warmth of his arms around her, the promise she made to him—she wouldn't stop until she brought him back. She had lost him once, but she wouldn't lose him forever.

"Alright," she finally whispered, her voice stronger than she felt. "Let's do this."

Ares grinned, a fire of ambition flickering in his dark eyes as he released her shoulders and began gathering his things. The tension in the air between them crackled with power, the kind that could bend fate to their will. Rhea turned back to the window, casting one last glance over the city. New Orleans had been her home, her battleground, and the place where she had loved and lost more than she ever thought possible. But this was no longer her place.

They left the city under the cover of night, two shadows blending into the darkness, driven by a singular, dangerous goal. As they crossed the threshold of New Orleans, Rhea felt a shift inside her. She wasn't the same person who had grieved in the arms of her dead lover, helpless and broken. She wasn't the same witch who had fought for survival in a world where power determined everything.

No. This was different.

She was Rhea Monroe, and alongside her brother, they would carve their place in history. They would unearth the legacy their family had hidden away for centuries, harness its power, and bend the world to their will. And when they returned to New Orleans, it wouldn't be as the broken remnants of a shattered family.

They would return as the most powerful witches to ever live. And no one—no one—would be able to stop them.

Not even death.